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Saturday

WEST SALEM -- Northwestern players, coaches and fans alike said they couldn't explain the feeling.

They should've been able to, as the Huskies certainly know by now what it's like to win the big one.

Konner Reed threw for 141 yards and two touchdowns, Travis "Coop" Morris ran for 136 yards and two scores, and Northwestern's opportunistic defense struck once more, leading the Huskies to a convincing 28-6 victory over Hillsdale Friday.

The victory propelled Northwestern (9-1, 6-1) to a second straight Wayne County Athletic League championship -- sharing their fourth overall with Waynedale -- and qualified the Huskies for the Div. V, Region 17 playoffs for a third straight season. Hillsdale (8-2, 5-2), which set the school record for victories in a season but was denied in its bid for a first WCAL championship, needs help to make the Div. V, Region 18 playoffs but appears to be on the outside looking in.

"It was a ball. I can't really explain how sweet it was," said Morris, a senior back who toted the pigskin 27 times. "We outhit them. We just took it to them and let the score take care of itself."

In a game many thought would be tooth and nail, Northwestern built a 21-0 lead midway through the third quarter to ultimately put the nail in the coffin. With a balanced offensive approach (205 yards rushing on 43 attempts, 141 yards on 12 passes) and a swarming defense (two takeaways, three sacks, six three-and-outs) made believers out of the Falcons.

"We were too nervous, too young. And they had been here before, they knew what to expect," Hillsdale senior Clay Nelson said. "They were focused. They wanted it bad and beat us fair and square."

Fueled by last year's 13-6 overtime victory over the Falcons in Week 10 -- a game where a disputed PAT miss would've given Hillsdale the lead with a minute left in regulation -- Northwestern was strong from start to finish. It didn't hurt that the Huskies had a little luck on their side, either.

Northwestern's first score came on fourth-and-four from the Hillsdale 27.

Reed rolled right, bought some time with a pirouette to elude a pair of defenders, and let loose a toss for the end zone. Hillsdale's Jeff Stitzlein was in position to at least knock down the attempt, or intercept it, but the ball went off his hands and into Northwestern's A.J. Mark who was positioned behind Stitzlein.

"All year long we had made the big plays when we were in that situation ... but there are a lot of what-ifs in this game. We didn't make plays we had an opportunity to make," Hillsdale coach Tom Williams said. "Our effort was outstanding, which was the case in all 10 games. It's just too bad this game was really the first one this year we didn't execute well."

All said, the Falcons trailed by only that score most of the first half. However, after Hillsdale moved the ball inside the Northwestern 40 on three consecutive possessions and came away with nothing, the Huskies extended the margin.

Taking over at the Falcons' 40 after a 15-yard punt, Northwestern needed just four plays and a minute-and-a-half.

Reed found a streaking Shawn Sheridan down the left sideline, as Sheridan had snuck behind Stitzlein for a 29-yard score with 1:09 left in the half. Reed, who missed Week 9 at Smithville with a separated left shoulder (non-throwing), finished 8-of-12 passing with usual suspects Shawn Roberts (3 receptions, 52 yards), Sheridan (3-45) and Mark (2-44) on the receiving end.

And after scoring just one touchdown against Smithville a week ago, the Huskies had a two-score lead at the half.

"I know it's a coach's quote, and obvious, but you would rather play from ahead than behind. Especially when you get two scores ahead," Thut said. "We didn't have to be conservative. We had some wiggle room, that if we made a mistake we would still be ahead."

Northwestern was confident.

Hillsdale apparently a little desperate.

The Falcons were unsuccessful on an onside kick to start the second half and a fake-punt pass on their first second-half possession. The latter gave Northwestern the ball near midfield, and eight plays later Morris busted free on a stretch play left and scored from the 8.

"At halftime we talked about getting it within one score, but obviously we were never able to get to that point," Williams said. "When you're down, you try to generate some excitement, generate some offense. ... You're down already, you've got to take some chances."

Hillsdale did counter Morris' score with a 14-play, 82-yard scoring drive. It was the Falcons' lone series of the game which lasted more than six plays, with junior quarterback Mike Tyson completing half his passes (8-of-19, 107 yards, TD, INT) on the night. The last was on third-and-goal from the 12, with Rennick Hostetter going up and over two defenders to snare a floater in the middle of the field.

Northwestern immediately one-upped the Falcons, though. It went 90 yards in nine plays, Morris capping the game's scoring at 8:38 with a 1-yard plunge off the left side. Morris carried seven times on the drive, but it was Reed's 48-yard keeper around the right side which was the biggest play of the series.

The championship season, and redemption, was complete at that point.

"I don't know what was going on, but we didn't have the week of practice that I wanted to have," Thut said. "But our seniors are fighters, guys who play with a lot of emotion. They turned it on tonight."

Zach Bolinger can be reached at (330) 287-1624 or zbolinger@the-daily-record.com

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